


Tactical Warning

by pinkstachio



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Blackmail, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-26 12:22:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9896264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkstachio/pseuds/pinkstachio
Summary: Something is definitely up with the basketball team and Josh plans to get to the bottom of it.





	1. one

"Why don't you just tell him?"

It's 10 - 10. Both teams are tied and the Knights have control of the ball. Josh's eyes are locked on jersey number 3; he watches as the boy waits, open at the opposite end of the court. Tension fills the room. A teammate passes to him.

He shoots! He scores!

Josh cheers from where he sits on the bleachers - first row, of course; that's his best friend out there - pumping his fist as he jumps out of his seat. He sits back down, feeling Mark's expectant gaze burning into him. Josh keeps his eyes on the court,

"You _know_ why." Josh replies. Mark fiddles with his camera, holding it up to take a few photos,

"He's not gonna hate you. You know he's not like that." Josh's gaze never strays from his bestfriend. The way his muscle's move, sweating rolling down his face. He looks so pretty, _ethereal_. And kind of gross, yea. But the way his sweat gleams on his tanned skin, Josh thinks he looks like a glazed doughnut.

"That's not what I'm worried about." he tells Mark. Mark takes a few more shots before setting his camera in his lap.

"Then what  _are_  you worried about?" Josh bounces his leg, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees. He's been avoiding this conversation for a reason.

"Y'know that kid in my gym class- what's his name. Daniel? Damon?" It's a wonder Josh can't remember his name. The guy never shuts up and it drives the coaches wild.

"Damien." Mark corrects.

"Yeah. So Brendon was telling me- Mark, seriously. He  _can_ be reliable."

Mark raises his eyebrows and scoffs,

"He was saying like. Those test answers? Administration only  _found_ those because the guys on the team ratted him out." It was a huge scandal that took place towards the end of first semester. The school recieved an anonymous tip that a student was selling SAT answer keys. When they found out who it was, the guy got in a load of trouble and ended up getting kicked off the team for it.

"Ok, say they did. Say Brendon _isn't ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~_a total shit faced liar. Why would they rat out their own teammate?"

Josh shrugs, "Well, he thinks is 'cause Damien was like, gay or something." Mark just shakes his head,

"Dude, they can't kick him off for being _gay_. Isn't that like, illegal? Or something? Brendon is so full of shit." Mark fiddles with his camera again, "What's this got to do with Tyler, anyway?"

Josh chews on his bottom lip and starts fiddling with his fingers in his lap,

"If he rejects me, it'll suck. If he doesn't, and the team finds out, next thing you know they'll be finding SAT answer keys in _his_ locker and he'll be kissing that scholarship goodbye." Tyler's basketball scholarship is a big deal. Not to mention his parents would lose their  _minds_ and probably start homeschooling him again. 

Josh looks over at Mark who leans back on the bleachers. He looks completely careless and Josh finds himself jealous of how little Mark seems to be worrying about this.

"Dude, that's ridiculous. Plus, he's like, totally carrying this team right now. They'd have to be braindead to kick him off."

Josh sighs. Mark's right about that. But there's always something else that keeps him at bay. He turns all of his focus back to Tyler, who turns and ends up making eye contact with Josh. Josh smiles brightly and gives Tyler a thumbs up. His best friend's face lights up and he smiles back with just as much enthusiam, pointing at Josh before bounding away. Tyler makes him feel like he's melting.

"He's so cool." Yea, Josh is a disgusting gooey puddle of awe.

"Gross." Mark quips. Josh bumps the photographer's shoulder. Mark chuckles, but then Josh quickly shushes him.

The opposite team had gotten a foul, allowing the Knights a free throw. The whole room is silent, not wanting to cause any distraction as the player prepares the shot. He shoots and the ball swishes through the net. Josh claps loudly, smiling. When the excitement dies down, he focuses his attention back to Mark.

"You can just never be... too careful, y'know?" Josh states, "His parents would kill him if he got kicked off."

"But he won't." Mark assures him

"How do you _know_?" Josh lets out an an exasperated sigh. Mark shrugs. Josh worries his bottom lip between his teeth, "I think Tyler likes it like this though, yknow." He says quietly

"Likes what?"

"Just... being best friends. Like, we're so close without it being something else, man. Like we can be close like that without it _having_ to be something else." Josh messes with his fingers absent mindedly, tangling and untangling them in his lap. Mark furrows his brow,

"...But it is something else." He points out. Josh is quiet for a moment, focusing his gaze on his hands.

"Yea, but it'd be weird." And he _knows_ it. Tyler would say he wouldn't mind, because Tyler's a nice guy. But some feelings you can't control. Some emotions just _happen_. Every hug and touch and smile wouldn't just be friendly. It would be uncomfortable, because deep down Tyler would be aware of Josh's feelings. Nothing would feel innocent or platonic anymore. It would feel like everything Josh did would have an underlying hint of desperation, even if they wanted to pretend like it didn't; Josh wanting to be close to Tyler wouldn't just feel platonic anymore.

"I still think you should tell him."

The buzzer sounds, signalizing the end of the game. The Knights won, 14 - 11. Tyler catches Josh's eye and Josh grins super big as Tyler runs over to him. The athlete throws his arms around Josh in a firm hug; it's sweaty and a little bit gross, but Josh doesn't care.

"You did awesome!" Josh tells him.

"Thanks!" Tyler sounds a bit out of breath as he pulls away. He has a really big smile that scrunches up his face and he looks really pumped and his cheeks are poofy and cute and he laughs a little and maybe Josh is staring a little bit too long. 

It feels like the entire world has shifted now that Tyler is around. He has this way of making you feel like the most important person in the world just for being _near_ him. Tyler himself is practically glowing - _like a star_ , Josh thinks - and everything feels ten times brighter.

"Yo Joseph, let's go!" calls a teammate

"Yeah, one sec!" Tyler yells back, "Hey, Josh we're going out for some pizza, the team, I mean. Wanna come?" His words are breathy and his hands are on his hips as he breathes, still trying to get air back into his lungs. He looks kind of hopeful and Josh almost says yes. That is, before he catches the glare of an onlooking teamate. Ryland? He thinks. Josh is really awful with any name that doesn't start with "T" and end with "-yler". The guy continues to give him the stinkeye and Josh wants to tell himself that it didn't phase him when it totally, definitely did.

"Nah, I think I'll pass." He gives Tyler an apologetic smile, "Call me later tonight though and tell me all about it." A flash of disappointment makes it's way across Tyler's face, but is almost instantly replaced with a small grin,

"For sure." Tyler hugs Josh one last time and gives him a quick peck on the cheek before following the team into the locker room. Josh feels the skin on his cheek burn red hot and sighs dreamily because he's a disgusting love-sick fool and as much as he likes to pretend it doesn't, his heart melts so much for Tyler. He turns around to see Mark smirking at him with his arms crossed. Josh gives him a shove,

"Shut up." he laughs. Mark lifts his hands defensively.

"What? I didn't say anything."


	2. two

It's Monday. Josh feels like the weekend always goes by faster every week and he is  _so_ not feeling it when he gets to lunch and Brendon throws a floppy, bunless hot dog on the table,

"This shit _bounces_. I promise you it's not supposed to do that." Brendon picks up the hot dog and wiggles it. Mark sighs,

"Isn't the 'school lunch is so gross' cliche getting a little old?" He deadpans. Brendon slides onto the bench next to Mark,

"Never. It's gross and I hate it." he takes a bite out of the hot dog. Josh laughs and Mark rolls his eyes. 

Brendon and Mark are a weird and unlikely pair. No one really knows why they continue to be friends; Mark finds Brendon annoying as all hell and Brendon  _knows_ it. He usually uses that knowledge to his advantage. 

Josh watches as Brendon's gaze locks on to something behind him. A big smile breaks across his face, his mouth full of mashed up hot dog bits. 

"Here comes the boy!" is his muffled announcement.

Josh lays his head on the table as a familiar body slides onto the bench next to him.

"The boy is here." says Tyler.

Josh watches as his friend smiles, folding his hands under his chin in a "princess pose" and pursing his lips. Brendon throws an empty hot dog bun at him,

"Grosss dude." Tyler laughs. Brendon scrunches his face in disgust. The actor in him is showing, because the expression looks so genuine that Josh has to wonder if he really means it,

"You're always so cute. And happy. I hate it." He spits, before basically shoving the rest of the hot dog down his throat.

"You hate a lot of things." Mark comments. 

Tyler then turns his attention to Mark, but scoots his body a little closer to Josh, brushing up against him, letting him know he's there. It's comforting. Josh leans his weight against Tyler and scrolls through his phone. Mark, across from Tyler, is looking down at his camera, flipping through pictures he took Friday night, knowing full well that Tyler is going to ask to see them,

"You get any good ones?" He asks. Mark shifts in his seat,

"Yea, a few. Wanna see?" He looks up at Tyler,

"Dude, _yes._ " 

Mark passes the camera over to Tyler. Josh lifts his head to see the photos, so Tyler holds the camera so they can both look at them. 

"Wait, go back," Josh sits up a little, "I like that one." He says, pointing. Tyler furrows his brow,

"Really?"

It's a close up of Tyler taking a shot. The ball is between his hands, above his head, just barely at the point where it flies through his fingertips. His face is focused, deep in concentration and his mouth is slightly agape. The photo captures the way his cheeks are flushed and shining from the sweat dripping down them and he looks so pretty Josh thinks he might pass out. He considers asking Mark to print this one so he could hang it in his locker. Tyler would get a real hoot out of that,

"Yeah, you look good." Josh says. "Good" is putting it lightly. And, maybe Josh is imagining things, but he swears Tyler is blushing. Just a bit.

"Which one?" Mark asks. Tyler turns the camera to show him. Mark nods thoughtfully,

"Oh, yeah that's a good one. Although, _this_ one is my personal favorite." He flips through a few of the photos before looking back up at Tyler, who brings the camera back to where he and Josh can see it. Tyler's face lights up, his eyes crinkle and he looks on the brink of laughter, but with not enough incentive to have been fully brought there,

"Look at this! I look ridiculous!" He eagerly points at the photo and turns it to Josh. 

It's another action shot. This time Tyler is in an athlete's stance, leaning forward to knock the ball from an opposing player. His eyes are wide and his mouth open and it looks kind of flappy and funny and Josh is going to lose it. He's  _definitely_ putting this one in his locker. Josh smiles and turns to Tyler,

"D-ude," he laughs. Tyler giggles and flips through a few more of the photos before handing the camera back to Mark. 

"Those are so sick, dude." He grins. Mark smiles shyly.

"Thanks." 

And then Brendon, goes "I wanna see!" 'cause hes a nosy bitch.

Josh has laid his head back on the table. Tyler lays his head down next to him and smiles softly,

"Hey." he says quietly. 

"Hi."

Tyler grabs Josh's hand, just to hold it; he slides their clasped hands back and forth on the table. It's calming and sweet. The butterflies in Josh's stomach are doing the tango and, really, Josh loves butterflies and dancing but right now he wishes they would just dissolve in his stomach acid.

Josh closes his eyes and lets the sound and feel of _Tyler_ fill all of his senses. His friend is humming something soft, and Josh knows he's familiar with the rise and fall of the notes leaving Tyler's throat, but can't exactly pin point it where they're from. He doesn't let it bother him though. It sounds so pretty and soothing and Josh feels like he's floating away. 

They are in their own world right now, their own space. Everything that isn't him or Tyler starts fading into the background. The roar of the lunch room around them along with Tyler's soft humming and the heat of Josh's own arms craddling his head starts to make him sleepy, and he ends up drifting off.

Josh is brought back to reality by a soft, insistent force being pelted at the side of his face. He groggily prys open his eyes to find Brendon throwing pieces of the abandoned hot dog bun at him. Josh squints.

"It's almost time to go, sleeping beauty. Wake the fuck up." 

Josh blinks and pulls a bread crumb from his hair, lazily tossing it at Brendon. Tyler is still holding his hand but is now engaged in a conversation with Mark. Josh pulls his hand from out of Tyler's to rub at his eyes. Tyler turns to look at him,

"Sleep good?"

Josh groans and burries his back into his arms.

The bell rings and it feels too loud.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry 4 how short this is and 4 the lack of plot, i swear its coming soon. i just love writing soft boys. also im very bad at reading over my work and ended up going back into the last chapter like 20 times to fix things. please if any1 notices any mistakes to comment them because i usually skip over them on accident and its embarrassing.


	3. three

As much as Josh hates to admit it, he really loves Brendon sometimes.

But not all the time.

Flashback to last year, before Tyler had started public school. It was just the three of them, and Brendon would get Josh and Mark into all  _kinds_ of trouble. First, it would start with passing risky notes in class, making rude gestures to them throughout lessons, getting into arguments with teachers and, for some God awful reason, dragging the two of them into it (because Brendon has every _right_ to discuss Napoleon's dick size during class. "It's history!")

Then, at some point, it transitioned to pranks. Josh can't really say  _why_ he went along with Brendon's shenanigans. Maybe, yeah, a part of him found fun in it. Mark, however, not so much.

Which was why Mark was no where to be found when they snuck into the boys locker room with plastic baggies full of itching powder. 

 _You guys are taking this too far._ Mark's voice had echoed in his head. 

Needless to say, Mark was the smart one.

The basketball team was  _pissed_ over losing the game. It was against their rival school; it was a _huge deal_. And Brendon, being a dumbass, wasn't exactly subtle about their actions. 

So, when Josh wakes up Wednesday morning and finds  _another_ bag of crap splattered on his front door, he has no one to blame but Brendon and sophomore year.

 

* * *

 

"Joshie boy!"

Having Brendon in your first period English class is a nightmare. _Brendon_ is a nightmare. No one should be this enthusiastic in the morning. No one. Josh is cranky and tired and right now he wishes Mr. Feldman cared enough to give them assigned seats so he can put Brendon as far away from Josh as possible. 

Brendon holds his hands in front of him and toots out a melody on an imaginary trumpet. Josh doesn't have enough in him to plaster his usual forced smile for his friend. He loves Brendon (maybe). But right now his presence is like eating ice cream after a horrible breakup; it's _supposed_ to make you feel better, but all it does is enforce the sick feeling deep in your stomach. 

Despite all this, and against his better judgement, he still takes the desk next to the dark-haired boy. Thankfully, Brendon seems to realize the somber air between them, and tones it down a bit. Barely. Josh  _really_ appreciates it,

"So. I've been planning something great, man. It's really gonna give the team a run for their money." Brendon flashes Josh an expectant smile and wiggles his eyebrows,

"Yeah?" Josh knows he really shouldn't be feeding into this,

" _Yeah_. We're gonna hit them back so hard that they'll be running with their tails between their legs crying mommy. Y'know? They won't even  _have_ tails to put betweent their legs 'cause we're gonna prank their  _asses off_!" He grabs Josh's arm excitedly. Josh winces,

" _Or_. We could just go to the police and report them for vandilism." 

Brendon rolls his eyes and huffs dramatically. He pushes Josh away and slumps in his seat,

" _LAME_ , Josh. You're starting to sound like Mark." 

"Maybe I'm just sick of scrubbing crap off my door twice a month." He gives Brendon a pointed look. Brendon furrows his brows, and scrunches his nose,

"Just powerwash it with a hose, dude. That's what I do." 

Josh just sighs and shakes his head. The morning bell rings, and the rest of the hour consists of Brendon passing Josh notes about ideas for his "Prank of The Century". They were all ridiculous and in no way plausible, and so potentionally  _dangerous_ that Josh ended up worrying he might have to monitor Brendon and make sure he doesn't try doing them on his own. 

When he tells Brendon that hey, you mess this up you could  _die_ , Brendon just scoffs and says "Don't be a spoil sport, Joshie."

Josh shakes his head and wonders why he puts up with this (not that he ever  _won't_ ).

 

* * *

 

Josh waits patiently.

6:00pm...6:05pm...

For being a very organized and acute person, he thinks it's pretty funny how Tyler always arrives  _precisely_ ten minutes late. Yet, they always plan for 6:00pm.

6:10pm rolls around and the door clicks open.

"Honey, I'm home!" Tyler's voice rings throughout the hall. Josh smiles from where he sits on the floor, back against the couch. He lifts his head up and yells, "You're late!" Tyler smiles at him, making his way around the couch. He shoves his backpack off his shoulders and it hits the floor with a rattling bang. He slides down to sit next to Josh, who has already started on his math homework,

"How was practice?" Josh asks. Tyler shrugs,

"Same old same old. How's that math?" 

Josh scoffs. Tyler turns to unzip his backpack, shuffling through it for a moment before groaning,

"Ugh, Physics."

"Ugh." Josh agrees. He goes to grab his Physics packet from his backpack so they could work together. They get through a few problems before Tyler starts getting frustrated and antsy,

"I don't _get it_. Why does the voltage stay the same? I thought it was supposed to change." He's started chewing on his bottom lip, pulling the dry skin off and gnawing it between his teeth,

"No, man. That's only in a series circuit. Look, it's gotta like-- hold on." Josh adjusts himself so he can write on Tyler's paper from where it sits in his lap. Their shoulders are pressed together and Josh is overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of _warm._ He mentally kicks himself and pushes down any pertruding thoughts before quickly sketching out a parallel circuit, using his pencil to point and explain, "If it's like, if this one is five and this is ten, right? The current is going to go faster through the five one. 'Cause less resistance. And, like, slower through the ten." He looks over at Tyler, who has a weird expression and Josh is suddenly aware of how close he is to Tyler right now and it's  _fine_ it's not  _weird_ they're  _friends_. 

However, Josh's face still grows slightly warmer. He swallows and clears is throat,

"Um-- so. Say it, like. Like goes twice as fast. The current. Um. That's basically-- like, when it -- when it all merges. It's the same. Um." Josh shifts away from him before he starts like, sweating, or something. He looks at Tyler expectantly. His friend nods,

"Yeah..." he says, like he gets it, but not really,

"Uh, maybe we should just study more tomorrow? We've got 'til Friday." Josh suggests. Tyler shakes his head.

"I can't bomb this test, dude." 

Josh sighs,

"Okay. How about we just take a break. Give your brain some time to, like, chill. We can watch a movie and then come back to it after."

Tyler rubs his face and then nods tiredly,

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

Josh starts picking up their things and sets them to the side,

"Pizza?" He suggests,

" _God, yes._ " Tyler groans, throwing his head back onto the couch and putting his hands up in the air before placing them over his eyes. He moves his fingers to peek at Josh, "This is why you are my best friend. No one else."

Josh laughs and dials the pizza place. He orders plain cheese and those cinnamon bread sticks because Tyler  _loves_ those.

The food arrives, and frankly, Josh always thought it was weird when he'd see stories and movies where people got turned on while other people eat. Like, when they  _really_ enjoy the food and start moaning and stuff. He mostly thought it was weird because no one actually  _does that_. Apparently he had never been around Tyler eating cinnamon bread sticks on a bad day.  

So _what_  if it made him blush. Sue him.

Josh brings up watching something on Netflix (definitely _not_  because his mind is wandering). They debate a bit over whether it should be the X-Files or Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Eventually, Josh wins with a very compelling argument (aliens). They shut off the lights, because the only way to truely appreciate the X-files is by watching it in the dark. It's two episodes in when Josh feels a weight on his shoulder.

The boys sleeping on eachother isn't something new, but that doesn't mean Josh's heart won't kickstart everytime it happens. He looks down at Tyler laying on his arm and feels a rush of warm seep through him. Tyler is  _so_ pretty and Josh hates the way it makes him melt. 

The way the light from the television dances off his features, following the slope of his nose and contours of his slightly flushed cheeks, makes Tyler look like something straight out of a movie. His lashes rest against his cheeks and they are  _so long_ and pretty that beauty gurus would drop to their knees to find out his secret. Josh is practically on his knees everyday because, honestly?what makes this boy so goddamn pretty. 

The credits are rolling on the screen. Josh runs a hand through Tyler's hair and places a soft kiss on the top of his head and _wowwowwowwow_  Josh's whole face  _burning_. He ignores the party going on in his chest and thinks ruefully about how much of a crime it'd be to wake Tyler up now; he looks so  _soft_ and peaceful.

Eventually, he nudges the other boy, causing him to stur and burrow his face into Josh's shoulder.  _Stop! That!_

"Dude." Josh says. Tyler shakes his head. Josh wriggles his arm, moving Tyler along with it, "We gotta study. Test friday." He reminds him,

"Screw th' test." Tyler mumbles into Josh's shoulder, his voice muffled. Josh pulls his arm from under Tyler, and then shoves the other boy off the couch. He tumbles to the floor.

Tyler lays there and whines pathetically. Josh laughs, tossing a pillow at him before getting up to turn on the lights. Tyler glares at him, and sticks his tongue out. Finally, he sighs and sits himself up. They study for about an hour. 

Tyler decides to leave once Josh's mom gets back from work. Josh always feels sad seeing him go, and maybe he hugs him goodbye for a little bit longer than he should.


	4. four

Thursday afternoon, Tyler walks into lunch with the basketball team. Josh has come to recognize Ryland as the tall one, and also the team captain?he thinks. He's pretty big and buff and not that Josh totally couldn't take him on if he wanted to, but he really hopes he never has to.

As Tyler starts to walk away from their crowd, Ryland quickly grabs him by the forearm and turns him around. Something protective sturs inside Josh, because yeah, he  _definitely_ grabbed Tyler with a little more force than necessary. And he's not letting go. Josh doesn't get up to interfere, just sits up a bit straighter and watches a bit closer. Ryland says something to Tyler that Josh can't hear, and the smaller boy smiles apologetically, doing few awkward motions with his hands, gesturing to Josh's table. He's able to make out the word "sorry" leaving his mouth, and for the second time, Josh receives a quick glare from Ryland. _Man, what is that dude's problem?_  Tyler finally breaks free from their group and slides in next to Josh. 

And, hey. Maybe Josh adjusts himself to sit little closer to Tyler than he normally would. 

"What was that about?" Brendon asks. 

"Hm?" 

"You. Bein' all.. 'buddy-buddy' with the B-ball posse."

Tyler smirks and pulls a bag of chips from his backpack, raising a brow,

"You know I  _do_ play basketball, right Brendon?" He says, opening the bag of chips and plopping one in his mouth. Brendon frowns and raises his eyebrows. He shakes his head,

"I'm just sayin', dude. They're like a  _cult._ Once they drag you in, they ain't lettin' you out." At this point, Josh starts to notice the wary look on Mark's face,

"Hey man," he says cautiously, "you're allowed to be friends with anyone you want, obviously, but like. They're _not_ nice guys." Josh nervously starts to chew the skin on the inside of his lip. When Mark speaks up, it's legitimate. He has better judgement than anyone at this table (Josh has come to learn this the hard way). Tyler furrows his brow,

"Jeeze, guys," he laughs nervously, "they just wanted me to sit with them. You're making it seem like they're gonna force me to make a blood pact, or something." Brendon smiles viciously,

"Who says they won't?  _Ha!_ " he wriggles his fingers, furrowing his brow and making an  _oooOoOo_ noise. Tyler crumples up his now empty chip bag and tosses it at Brendon's face,

"Have you never really talked with them before?" Josh asks. He knows Tyler did a few camps over the summer along with some of the team, but he never actually played with them until he joined this year. Tyler shifts in his seat, an uncomfortable expression passing over his features,

"Uh, not really. Not much outside of practice." He shrugs.

The subject is dropped and the air around them feels awkward for a few moments. That is until Brendon starts rambling about how some guy's nudes got leaked and are being spread around. He decides it's best to show them all the photo, causing Tyler to cover his eyes because he's "a child of god!", Mark to roll his eyes, unimpressed, and Josh to laugh, pushing the phone away as Brendon insists on shoving it in his face ( _"It's not a bad dick! Hey, just look at it!")._

Despite the commotion, Josh can't help but overhear the laughter and feel the burning presence of leering glares from a few tables over.

 

* * *

 

Today, Tyler makes it to Josh's house at 6:09pm! Record timing. 

Josh starts to notice however, that he seems a little off. His words leave his tongue softer, and shorter, than usual. Every motion feels drained.

"You okay?" Josh asks after watching Tyler sit there zoned out for a while,

"Hm? Yea! I'm fine." He rubs his face, "Sorry just... _tired_." 

Josh frowns. He knows Tyler. Something is stressing him out. 

"Is it the test? Are you worried about it?" 

Tyler looks up at Josh, studying his face before answering, slowly at first. "No.. I.. think I'm good.. I think I've got everything." He nods affirmatively to himself. Josh smiles softly, nudging Tyler's shoulder with his own,

"Then what's up?"

Tyler chews on the inside of his cheek, thinking for a moment before sighing and shaking his head,

"Nothing, man. I'm just tired from practice." He promises, giving Josh a small smile.

He decides not to press any further. If something was up and Tyler wanted to tell him, he would. Josh doesn't understand why he wouldn't. They're best friends, they go to eachother for everything. 

"What about you?" Tyler asks, looking over at Josh, "How are you feeling?"

Josh feels weird with this sort of spotlight on him. He never really thinks about himself like that when he's around Tyler. The other boy always becomes top priority,

"Dunno. Pretty good. I guess?" He shrugs, "Those guys got me and Brendon again yesterday, so I mean that sucks." 

Tyler scoffs, shaking his head.

"Man, dude, for real? When will they give that up? Have you gone to the cops yet?" 

Josh shrugs,

"I dunno. We're figuring it out." 

"And you still have no idea who's doing it?"

Oh yeah, _that_. Josh tends to leave out details. Specifically, basketball boy shaped details. He really doesn't want to explain to Tyler that  _hey, we screwed with your team's biggest game of the year!_  

Even though Tyler wasn't there personally to experience it, it's still something that the team holds a grudge over to this day (obviously). Telling Tyler that his teammates are the ones vandalising his friend's houses, would mean explaining that it was his  _friends_ who started it in the first place. And, it's not like Tyler doesn't already know about the prank. He's already expressed to Josh how messed up he thinks it is that someone would  _do that_. 

Josh chews on his lip nervously, fiddling with the pencil in his hand. He shrugs again, "Wanna take a quick break?" he suggests, changing the subject. Tyler looks hesitant, but eventually gives in, sighing,

"Yeah. That sounds awesome. Mario kart?"

Josh flashes him a toothy grin,

"Heck yea, dude."

They decide to play four courses on random, and whoever loses has to do at least one sheet of homework for the other. Tyler kicks Josh's _ass_. Maybe Josh let him. Who knows. (He totally did).

Afterwards, when they finished what homework they needed to for the night, Josh makes some popcorn and they watch a movie. They're huddled up with a whole bunch of blankets. Tyler puts his head on Josh's shoulder and Josh feels himself being rushed with the feeling of  _affection_ because he is so happy to have Tyler with him. Here. Right now. In his life.

"Hey?" Josh says quietly, the sound of the movie filling the empty space around them.

"Hmm?" replies Tyler with a mouthful of popcorn.

"To be totally sappy, man, I'm so happy you're my best friend. No one could ever have a better best friend than I do."

Tyler chuckles and throws some popcorn at Josh's face. Josh attempts to open his mouth and catch some of them, missing  _all_ of them as they bounce off his face and tumble to the floor. He stares at them in defeat.

"Gross." is what Tyler eventually says. Josh smiles really big to himself. A few moments pass, and Tyler looks thoughtful. He glances up at Josh,

"You're wrong, man." He says.

"Yeah?"

" _I_ have a better best friend than you do." 

"And who would that be?" 

Tyler grabs a fistful of popcorn, shoving it into his mouth with his eyes trained on the television. His voice comes out muffled, popcorn bits spewing everywhere,

"My butt."

Josh scrunches his nose and pushes Tyler's dumb, laughing face away from him.

"I hate you." He doesn't.

Tyler laughs and laughs and laughs because he thinks he is  _so funny_  and some popcorn falls out of his mouth and Josh is laughing and Tyler is  _choking on the popcorn from laughing so hard._ Josh starts to feel tears prick at his eyes and his stomach hurts from laughter. They end up having to rewind the movie because they totally missed what happened, but it's ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise there's more to this story than just gross stuff @ joshs house and shitty lunch table convos also sorry 4 all the short chapters, they should be getting longer soon.


	5. five

Josh isn't upset, really. Tyler's allowed to sit where ever he wants. But that doesn't mean he doesn't miss him.

Even though he's only about twenty feet away. 

In his head, the words _imissyouimissyouimissyouimissyou_ are frequently repeating, with the intention that if he thinks them hard enough, Tyler will be able to hear them and come back to their table. It doesn't work.

Brendon and Mark are bickering about something Josh could care less about; his eyes are trained on his  _favorite_ person in the room. And hey! He's looking back at him. Maybe it _did_ work, a little bit. Josh smiles and waves. Tyler smiles even bigger and waves back. 

Ryland, who is sitting next to Tyler, nudges him to say something with a smirk. Tyler turns to listen, and his smile falters as the whole table bursts into laughter. Josh watches as Tyler's face goes red; his eyes flicker towards Josh like he wants to meet his gaze but stops himself before he can.

Man, Josh really despises those guys. 

Josh's smile has fallen and he gnaws on his lip anxiously, purposefully turning his attention away from the team's table. From his peripheral, he can see Brendon shaking his head disapprovingly at something Mark has said,

"Batman is just  _lame_ , dude. At least Tony has a fucking personality." 

"By personality I assume you're referrring to how he's a straight up asshole? I mean, I  _guess_. But-- ...hey, Josh. You alright?"

Josh blinks,

"Hm? Yeah. It's just, y'know. Tyler." He sighs, his eyes drifting over to the other boy. He's caught in a conversation with one of the guys-- Josh thinks his name is Michael-- and Josh can't bring himself to look away. The way Tyler talks is so... entrancing, even if you have no idea what he's talking about. He gets really into it, speaking with his whole body, waving his hands to expand on his point; energy just _radiates_ from him. It pulls you in like quicksand.  And his voice,  _god_. Josh can't hear it but it's like he can  _feel_ it just from watching him. When Tyler is really into something, really serious about it, his voice makes it's way into your head. You feel it like soil-- dark, soft and enriching in your heart, seeping into your brain. It's low and soothing and mellow and fills you up and makes you want to listen to him for  _hours_. It's like dirt is spilling from his mouth, and the pitch of his voice, every sound, every new idea, is a vivid green sprout growing into vines that snake around you and captivate you; it's beautiful and hypnotic. Josh almost feels empty when it's gone. 

He's been so caught up in  _Tyler_ that he didn't notice how Brendon launched himself into a full blown rant about the team,

"--just can't get over it! Like, god, they are the pettiest motherfuckers I've ever seen. Aside from myself, of course." 

"Not to play devil's advocate or anything, but you started it." Mark says pointedly. Brendon lets out a frustrated sigh,

"Ok, but  _one_ time would've been enough. One! But  _noooo._ Those butthurt babies just can't let it go!"

Brendon really loves listening to the sound of his own voice, and, in fact, continues to rant for nearly the whole twenty minutes about how he's " _going to get back at those assholes_ " with his " _master plan_ " and " _you're going to help, right Josh?_ " and Josh just laughs softly because Brendon is ridiculous, but he loves being friends with him regardless.

Eventually, he tires himself out, turning his attention to Josh's untouched lunch,

"Hey, you gonna eat that?" He asks, pointing at the (now cold) slice of cheese pizza. Josh shakes his head and Mark raises a brow,

"I thought you hated the food?" 

Brendon scoffs,

"So what? I'm fuckin' hungry." and with that he practically shoves the whole thing into his humungo mouth.

 

* * *

 

Josh can hardly focus on breathing, much less the  _Physics test_. His mind keeps wandering to lunch and how Tyler kept avoiding eye contact.  _What did they say to him?_

He nervously fiddles with his pencil. Yes, it  _is_ entirely possible that they told him about the prank. But why did his face get  _so_ red? He looked so... _embarrassed? Nervous?_ Did they say something about Josh? Brendon? Mark? Or, maybe they just made a crude joke. But why did he avoid Josh, then? And, so, a fleeting thought passes through his mind:  _He's embarrassed to have you guys as friends._

Nah...

But is he?

Josh honestly doesn't know. Tyler's never  _seemed_ embarrassed of them before. But then again, he's never really experienced public school and cliques and  _stereotypes_. Not to mention, Josh's little group isn't exactly known for being popular. The basketball team, on the other hand...

Josh shakes his head. Tyler wouldn't. They've been best friends, since, _forever_.

He tries to clear his mind and work on finishing the Physics test. Something about... the resistance in a current, and... ugh. 

Whatever. He wings it, not spending as much time as he normally would on each question. At this point, he just wants the day to be  _over_.

 

* * *

 

"Hey! Josh, right?" 

He jumps at the voice, having been lost in thought. Josh turns around to see the  _last_ person he'd be expecting to talk to today.

"Um, yeah. Damien?"

"Yeah, hi!" Josh gives a small smile. Damien rubs at his face and seems to be thinking about what he's going to say. From behind him, Josh can hear the gym coach calling the class to line up for attendance. He rolls his lips between his teeth and starts backing away, flashing an awkward smile and pointing over his shoulder with his thumb,

"Man, I gotta--"

"So, the thing is--"

They had both started at the same time, Josh stops himself and apologizes. Damien begins talking again, this time slower,

"So..." he starts, making eye contact with Josh to be sure he's listening, "...I used to be good friends with Tyler. Uh, we knew eachother at camp an' stuff. You guys are close, right?"

"Yeah, we're best friends."

Josh felt the need to mention that. 

Damien smiles brightly,

"That's sweet! Tyler's a cool guy, isn't he." The way he says it is less of a question, and more of a statement.

"Yeah." Josh nods, smiling to himself because... _yeah!_ Tyler is cool. But then, he furrows his brow because hey, wait a minute. Tyler never mentioned being friends with Damien. He especially never mentioned being  _good_ friends, "You said... you and Tyler were good friends?" 

"Oh, yeah," he laughs, "really good."

 _Really good_. Josh frowns,

"Funny. He never mentioned you to me."

Damien's smile never leaves his face,

"Really."

Josh shrugs,

"Well, do you think you could give him a message for me? 'Cause he keeps avoiding me. Just tell him I'm sorry, okay? And that I want to talk to him. If he's up for it." Damien pats Josh firmly on the back, "Thanks, man." He says, smiling, before running off to join his class.

Josh's goes to join his own class, apologizing to his gym coach for being late. He ends up having to run the track. Not that he minds, running doesn't really bother him. But it does give him time to think. 

Why would Tyler never mention Damien? And what would Damien need to apologize for? _Is Tyler hiding something?_

Josh shakes those thoughts from his head. Nah... It probably wasn't anything important. Maybe Damien just forgot to return a pen, or something.

But still, Josh finds himself trying pretty hard to ignore the sinking feeling of doubt in his stomach.

 

* * *

 

Josh meets up with Brendon and Mark in the gym for the game. There are so many thoughts buzzing through his head, so many things he wants to voice out loud, but he doesn't know if it's anything important enough to bring up to his friends. 

They make sure to get a seat on the front bleacher. Mark plops down next to him with a sigh,

"Man, that Physics test." he groans

"Yeah." Josh agrees. 

Brendon sits on the other side of Mark, a bag of chips in his hand. Josh swears he's always eating.

He takes this moment to text Tyler.

 ** _Josh:_** _wanna come over after the game?_  

He sits anxiously waiting for a reply. He wonders if bringing up Damien would be a bad idea; or maybe he's just making a bigger deal out of this than needed. His phone buzzes.

 **_Tyler:_ ** _Can't. ): The guys wanna get celebratory pizza._

 **_Josh:_ ** _celebratory? u havent even won yet_

 **_Tyler:_ ** _Key word: yet._

Josh smiles. He loves how Tyler's competitiveness shows in such subtle ways. 

 **_Josh:_ ** _what about after?_

 **_Tyler:_ ** _We'_ _ll see. (:_

Josh thinks about Tyler smiling at his phone while texting him, and that makes Josh smile even harder. 

"Disgusting." he hears Brendon say, "We need to do something about them."

"Agreed." Says Mark.

It's about 5 minutes until the game starts. Tyler waves to them while the team does their warm-ups. Josh waves back and Brendon whistles loudly. Tyler's face goes red; he purposefully goes back to doing the warm-ups so he does't have to look at them, but Josh doesn't miss the way he keeps smiling and meeting his eyes.

The game finally starts, and Tyler makes the first basket for the Knights. Josh and Mark cheer, where as Brendon yells "YEAH, BABY!" through cupped hands. Tyler looks a little startled and his eyes go wide, quickly making contact with Josh's. Josh gives him a smile and Tyler seems to relax a little, grinning back.

The score isn't as close as it was last week. The Knights beat the opposing team, the Eagles, 10 - 4. The teams are giving eachother high fives, and afterwards, Tyler makes a beeline for his friends.

Brendon stands up and wraps an arm around him,

"Wow, you are a  _sweaty_ boy!"

Tyler giggles and pushes him off. Brendon clasps a hand on his shoulder, telling him how great he did. Mark gives him a thumbs up and a congratulations. Josh holds his hand up for a high five and Tyler smacks it hard enough to sting. Josh loves it.

Tyler smiles, his mouth open like words are meant to be coming out of it, but he doesn't have enough breath at the moment for them to make their way up. He looks flustered and sweaty, and is breathing pretty heavily and maybe Josh's mind should _not_ be wandering to where it currently is. 

He looks at Tyler, and feels a surge of emotion and,  _man,_ he just wants to give him a hug. So, he does, quickly pulling Tyler in with a big smile on his face. It startles the other boy, and he seems a little hestitant to return the gesture, but quickly gets over it and wraps his arms around Josh. When they pull away, Tyler starts towards the locker room, but turns back around. He opens his mouth like he has something to say, but quickly shakes his head and smiles. Tyler waves a hand before bounding off and disappearing into the locker room.

 

* * *

 

_**Tyler:** U awake?_

_**Josh:** zzzzzzzzzzz_

_**Tyler:**  Josssshhhhh._

_**Tyler:** I'm coming over._

 

* * *

 

It's 10:30pm when Tyler opens Josh's bedroom door and climbs into the bed with him.

"Hey."

"Hi."

A silence passes. Josh is beyond tired, but his brain fuzzily remembers needing to talk to Tyler about something.

"How was pizza?" he asks groggily. _No_ , he realizes. That wasn't what he wanted to ask. Maybe it'll come to him.

"Good."

It's comfortably quiet, and Josh can just barely make out Tyler's silhouette in the dark.

_Oh! Damien!_

_Oh...._ Damien.

"Do you know a kid named Damien?"

Tyler is pretty quiet for a long time. Josh might've figured he was asleep. That is, until his voice makes itself known in the darkness of the room,

"Yeah." he sighs, "We went to summer camp together. Why do you ask?"

Josh shifts in the bed so that he's on his back, facing the ceiling

"He says sorry." 

They don't say anything else for a few moments.

"Is that all he said?" 

Josh thinks maybe he should mention how Damien wants to talk to Tyler, but some selfish part inside him keeps that information to itself. Instead, he says,

"You guys were good friends?"

"Um--" Tyler clears his throat, "Um. Yeah. I mean, I guess. We spoke a few times."

There's a sneaking supsicious in Josh's gut that Tyler isn't telling him the whole truth. But he lets it slide. If it was really important, Tyler would've told him.

It's quiet for a very long time. A question pops into Josh's head, a very dumb one that he already knows a thousand possible answers to. He asks it anyway,

"Why'd you come over?" 

He doesn't mean it in a rude way. He's happy that Tyler is here. Josh is just... curious? For lack of a better word,

"Missed you. I dunno. Couldn't sleep."

Josh's stomach does more than a few somersaults. He wills them away and turns to look at Tyler,

"You okay?" 

Tyler doesn't answer.

Josh's hand fumbles around in the mess of blankets, looking for Tyler's, and holding onto it when he finds it. He rubs his thumb in circles on the other boy's hand, hoping for it to be something soothing. It works, Josh guesses, because eventually Tyler's breaths even out. Josh's, not too far after, follow suite.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really appreciate tylers voice  
> ps the lego batman movie was incredible and everyone needs to see it


End file.
